on my daughters phone last night she found some news that summernats had been sold to the people who do the australia day celebrations in canberra chick is meant to be staying on for a while there is meant to be more info in the papers on monday there is nothing on the summernats site yet hopefully i got it right i know you cant believe everything you read thanx wizard

Over the last few weeks you’ve probably heard a lot of talk about the sale of the Summernats. People have been pretty keen to know who’s buying it, whether the new owners are into cars, and more importantly, what it means for the event’s future.

Well, the buyers are three mates who love big events and have formed a new business to secure the Summernats and guarantee its future. Two of us are producers who’ve staged a bunch of big events and festivals all around Australia. The third works in advertising to support his music festival and vehicle habit.

It’s true a couple of us don’t know a lot about cars, but thankfully one of us has owned three Valiant Chargers to put some runs on the board. And yes, none of us have ever been to the Summernats. But working in events outside of our experience is part of what we do. Last year, we produced the Pope’s Mass in front of 400,000 people at Randwick Racecourse for World Youth Day. And we’re not exactly what you’d call good Catholic boys.

Of course, the true disciples of the Summernats are staying on. Sheena, Sue, Don, Ditch, and Tracy, know the event inside out. And the big fella is here for the long haul as a consultant to ensure the Summernats remain Australia’s premium car festival.

We also know how important it is to keep all the loyal sponsors and exhibitors so you get the best high performance equipment on site to look at and buy. It’s great that the Nats’ masthead remains “Street Machine Summernats, proudly supported by Rare Spares”, and trader and exhibitor numbers are already looking great for 2010.

Finally, to the entrants who bring the awesome machines that are at the heart of the Street Machine Summernats – we’re here and we’re staying. Numbers are already good but we’re keen for more.

So it’s all good. The fact we’ve bought the Nats means the festival is definitely here to stay. The fact we’ve put on some of the biggest live gigs in Australia means we can bring a lot to the event and make it even better. As just one example, we’re going to ramp up the entertainment program – if you’re a fan of Aussie rock then you’re going to love Summernats 23.

Love it or hate it, after 22 years there aren’t many privately run festivals in Australia still firing on all cylinders. The Nats is an important event and one we respect. Sure, it’s wild, it’s different, it’s irreverent. And it’s really well managed. That’s what makes it great. Everyone who counts, including you, the ACT Government, and us, want the Summernats wheels to keep spinning. We want it to stay in Canberra, to keep all the good things about it, and to only get better.

You won’t hear too much from us the new owners from now on, as that’s not how we roll. It’s business as usual and we’ll see you at Exhibition Park in January for at Australia’s biggest horsepower party.